Lhikan's story
by Toa Of Darkness
Summary: Lhikan, last of the Toa Metru, must bear with the burden of his lost siblings and seek out worthy Matoran as the next chosen Toa. Cap 2 up.
1. One Down

Bleh. I felt like writing this. Deal. 'Tis chapter one: Drama!

"Katarii! KATARII!" The Fire Toa's cries echoed through the dark tunnel as he frantically searched for the water Toa. "Mata Nui, where are you, sister?"

The only other sounds were his heavy panting and his footsteps pounding on the stone under them. It had been hours since he had last seen her, minutes since he woke from the painful unconsciousness caused by the betrayal from his former brother, Toa Nidhiki, the Toa of Air.

Lhikan neared the corner, a dim beam of light visible around the other side. He skidded to avoid crashing into the wall, then immediately ran forward down this new passage.

But this sudden burst of speed did not last long. He stopped so short his legs flew forward and he fell to his back, catching himself with his hands at the last second.

Onu-Metru lay in ruins before him. Stone domes that once held precious artifacts were nothing more than rubble on the cavern floor. The small stream was blocked by fallen stones at one end, causing water to form an inch-deep pool around the Metru. The small, dark grey bodies of Onu-Matoran lay strewn about like discarded objects. Lightstones were knocked from their poles, scattered on the ground, illuminating the bodies and rubble they lay amongst.

Lhikan could do little more than shake his head in despair at the sight that lay before him.

'No,' he thought. 'How could a Toa possibly cause this carnage?'

He pushed himself to his feet and marched forward into the Metru, careful to tread around the bodies.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" he shouted.

His cry was replied with a weak moan coming from under a large slab of stone, supported slightly by smaller boulders. Immediately he rushed over. "Fear not, friend. Help has arrived."

With a mighty heave, he lifted the massive rock free and peered at the body that had been trapped under it.

At once he let out a cry of despair. "Onawe!" He cleared the stones and knelt beside the Toa of Earth. "No, by the Spirit, not you too."

He placed one hand gently under the Toa's back and lifted him onto his knees. Onawe's mask had been shattered, and the left part of it was missing entirely. He moaned weakly.

"No, please, brother. Stay with me." Lhikan grasped his brother's hand. "You'll be alright," he said, choking back tears. He knew this was a lie. Onawe's body was injured beyond any healing.

Struggling with his last bit of life, Onawe lifted his head to look into his brother's eyes. Seeing, this, the fire Toa supported Onawe's head with is arm. He had to tell him, he had one last duty to perform before he could rest.

"K--Kre---" He shuddered with the pain in his chest. Lhikan did not silence him. He knew what the Toa was trying to say with his last breath was important.

With one strong gasp, he uttered the word forward. "Krekka."

Lhikan's heart fell with despair. "So… Nidhiki has destroyed brother Krekka as well?" He could not recall reports of the mutated Toa in Ko-Metru.

Onawe shook his head slightly. "N-no." He inhaled sharply. "Kre-Krekka, an-n-nd Nidhik-k-ki."

Lhikan's face fell, his mouth agape. "Another of our brothers has fallen into Makuta's grasp?"

Onawe nodded and gave a slight smile, glad that his brother had understood him. Lhikan knows his duty, he thought. He will see to it to be done. The stone Toa inhaled shakily, painfully one last time, and let out a long, slow breath. His eyes and heart light faded at the same time. His entire body had gone limp in his brother's arms.

The fire Toa's head fell, his face was dark. There were shadows were his eyes should have been. He held his fallen comrade tighter, and let his forehead fall on Onawe's chest.

His shoulders were shaking violently. He let the tears come. He didn't deny them. He _wanted_ them to come. Onawe was gone, possibly Katarii as well. No one had heard from Wakato since the destruction of his own village. Nidhiki and now Krekka, the former Ice Toa, had given themselves up to Makuta in search of greater personal gain.

He gently laid Onawe's body back on the ground, placing his hands ceremoniously over his chest. He got up and backed away a few steps, until he was finally able to tear his eyes away from him and run down another tunnel, wiping the tears from his hatred-covered face, ignoring the concerned faces of the little Matoran survivors that flashed by. He would find his sister, and he would destroy the creatures who were no longer his brothers.

He swore to this. On the honor of Mata Nui and his deceased brother, he would undo the destruction brought upon his land.

WOOOOOO---T! Hope you liked. Review, please! Love ya!


	2. Failure

Yeyah! Chapter two: SUSPENSE! Read and FEAR!

Wakato treaded carefully through the tunnels he had stumbled upon while following his sister's trail. It had been all but impossible for him to follow her unconscious body being carried by his former brothers.

What Nidhiki had become was almost tolerable, but for Krekka the stone Toa felt a slight trace of pity.

The once giddy and playful Nidhiki, Toa of Air, had become something resembling more Rahi than Toa. Four thin spider-like legs clicked across the hard rock underfoot. His mask was now adorned with sharp, jagged edges on the back and sides. In place of arms, two vicious scorpion-like claws protruded from his shoulders. Wakato had heard his voice--in place of the high-pitched, happy sing-song tone, there was now a harsh, uncomfortable sound that reminded the Toa of a handful of rocks being grinded together. The creature looked weak but fast, and retained his intelligence.

Krekka, on the other hand, was at the other end of the spectrum. He walked upright, though slightly hunched. His mask still retained its characteristic eyepiece, though his intelligence was something to be questioned for one who was once a resident of Ko-Metru, supposedly the smartest of the residents of the island. His body was large and strong, and his mask had been mutilated into a beast-like form. He was carrying Katarii in his massive claws.

Thankfully, the tunnel was rough and jagged, with protrusions and footholds made of Mata-Nui-knows-what lining the stone walls, and Wakato was climbing along these, staying a good hundred yards or so away from his sisters' captors.

His plan was to memorize every twist and turn of this path until they reached their lair, then return to the surface to find his brothers, Lhikan and Onawe. They would then come back down the tunnels and attempt to free the Water Toa.

There was no possible way for Wakato to release her on his own. His former brothers had grown considerably stronger through whatever foul process Makuta had put them through.

"I trust you were successful in your undertaking?"

The voice instantly froze Wakato with fear. He sank into an opening in the wall, and hoped this would make him invisible.

"Makuta," he whispered breathlessly.

"We lost Lhikan in the fray, Lord Makuta," Nidhiki said nervously. "And Onawe was badly injured in our incursion of Onu-Metru. I believe he was damaged beyond help. He would not have been any use to us."

Wakato's insides turned to ice. He prayed to the Spirit that what the abomination had said was wrong, that somehow his Earth brother was still alive, could still join him in battle.

The Toa of Stone dared peak from out of his hiding spot and muffled a surprised gasp. The turn before him had been an illusion, the stone walls were now completely gone, they and the ceiling curved outward to form a monstrous cavern shrouded in fog. There was a third, more menacing creature with its back turned to his two servants, red and black armor barely glinting in the dim light from the large, red protodermis-filled cylinder before him.

The creature shifted, his head turned slightly so that one eye was visible. "Really?" He inquired, gaze piercing straight through the two frightened followers.

Nidhiki gulped. Krekka stepped forward, indicating the limp blue female in his arms.

"But look, Master! We brought you the Water Toa! She will be useful to us, right?"

Makuta's head now turned completely around. "Indeed."

Wakato turned away from the scene and hid himself once more against the stone walls. He prayed that Makuta could not see him. And thought he could no longer see them, he could still hear their conversation.

"So you think that would redeem you of your faults?" The voice threatened. It sounded a bit closer with each word. Wakato could picture Makuta walking toward the two nervous traitors, drawing closer to them.

Drawing closer to his sister.

He tightened his grip on his pick-shaped weapon, willing himself to be calm.

"Though she will submit to us in time, you have lost the other Toa I requested, and even destroyed a third. Not to mention that you do not know the whereabouts of the Stone Toa, do you?"

"B-but, lord, we are not sure of Onawe's condition. H-He could s-still be alive! Please, allow us to return to Onu-Metru and search for him! We might be able to--Aack!"

Nidhiki's yelp was quickly followed by the distinctive sound of armor hitting stone.

There was silence for a long moment. Wakato could hear scrabbling, like Nidhiki was struggling to stand.

"You, Krekka, do not join your brother on the ground because you still hold the next piece to the plan. A plan which may now _fail_ because of your incompetence. You loose three Toa, bring back but one, and she is too badly injured. The process may be unsuccessful." His voice suddenly sounded calmer. "Not only that…"

A shadow, a silhouette was all the Stone Toa saw, before he was whisked out of his hiding spot by an invisible entity, Makuta's strong hand wrapped around his neck, pulling him off of his feet. He dangled helplessly from the monster's grasp, staring straight into his demon-red eyes.

"You allowed yourselves to be followed."

NYAAAA! More cliffhanger-ness! Stay tuned for the next chapter! And, as always, REVIEW!


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